December 18, 2015
UAB IT is a 'force awakened'
To celebrate a year of accomplishments and look forward to new challenges, staff members attended a special advance showing of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" as a team Thursday night, with some special guests in attendance.
Sensing that a department filled with technology experts was the perfect audience for the latest "Star Wars" installment, UAB IT rented a theater for the event and invited not only employees but their family and friends as well as UAB leadership and mascot Blaze, who wore his Jedi robes for the occasion.
"You are indeed a force awakened," Vice President and CIO Dr. Curtis A. Carver Jr. told staff members and their guests. "What you have done this year is remarkable. UAB IT does not exist in a vacuum, and everything that we do is in support of UAB's mission. We're here to empower students, faculty and staff. This is an opportunity to thank our constituents, our staff and the family members who support our staff members who work long hours to help make UAB great."
UAB IT has had a year filled with accomplishments to help better the UAB community, from a small technology tweak that helped increase donations for the university's Annual Giving campaign to new cloud storage options. In addition, UAB IT is building a stronger research computer network that is 10 times faster and has introduced more robust password security with a longer lifespan for passwords.
For details on some of UAB IT's projects over the past several months, look at our monthly IT Update newsletters and Carver's 100-day letter to campus. And for a more lighthearted look at the department's accomplishments, our holiday greeting video showcases the "12 Days of the Holidays with UAB IT."
Spoiler alert: The movie is great.
An email upgrade being rolled out for UAB faculty and staff this week will support much larger mailbox sizes.
Faculty and staff members will be transitioned to the new email system gradually over the coming weeks.
In addition to the larger email storage space, users will see a new interface when logging into email accounts through a web browser. The look and feel will be closely aligned to what students see in their Office 365 email accounts.
In the new interface, users should note that the Calendar, People (previously called “Contacts”) and Tasks will be in the upper right-hand side of the interface, rather than the lower left-hand side.
Click image for larger view.
Users will also see a new login page for the Outlook Web App.
Click image for larger view.
It will take several weeks to transition all faculty and staff email accounts to the new system. Users should not see any changes to their email when using the Outlook application, other than the increased storage space.
Among the new features of the Outlook Web App:
· Inline composing, which allows users to quickly compose and reply to emails without popping out a new window
· Forgotten attachment reminder, which tries to detect whether you intended to include an attachment (by interpreting an email you typed) and pops up a reminder if you click send without including the attachment. This feature works with recent browsers such as Internet Explorer 9 and above.
· The Outlook Web App comes with three apps installed: Bing Maps, which adds a Bing tab with a quick link to a map if an e-mail message contains a street address; Action Items, which creates a suggested Task for the user to review if an email suggests a possible action; and Suggested Meetings, which suggests an appointment be added to the user’s calendar if an email has an offer to meet.
· Email actions allow users to hover the mouse over an email they want to delete and see new icons to the right-hand side of the email: delete and flag. This makes it easier to delete emails without having to select them first.
Faculty and staff members will be transitioned to the new email system gradually over the coming weeks.
In addition to the larger email storage space, users will see a new interface when logging into email accounts through a web browser. The look and feel will be closely aligned to what students see in their Office 365 email accounts.
In the new interface, users should note that the Calendar, People (previously called “Contacts”) and Tasks will be in the upper right-hand side of the interface, rather than the lower left-hand side.
Click image for larger view.Users will also see a new login page for the Outlook Web App.
Click image for larger view.It will take several weeks to transition all faculty and staff email accounts to the new system. Users should not see any changes to their email when using the Outlook application, other than the increased storage space.
Among the new features of the Outlook Web App:
· Inline composing, which allows users to quickly compose and reply to emails without popping out a new window
· Forgotten attachment reminder, which tries to detect whether you intended to include an attachment (by interpreting an email you typed) and pops up a reminder if you click send without including the attachment. This feature works with recent browsers such as Internet Explorer 9 and above.
· The Outlook Web App comes with three apps installed: Bing Maps, which adds a Bing tab with a quick link to a map if an e-mail message contains a street address; Action Items, which creates a suggested Task for the user to review if an email suggests a possible action; and Suggested Meetings, which suggests an appointment be added to the user’s calendar if an email has an offer to meet.
· Email actions allow users to hover the mouse over an email they want to delete and see new icons to the right-hand side of the email: delete and flag. This makes it easier to delete emails without having to select them first.
December 07, 2015
UAB IT rolling out IE 11 to supported customers; IRAP users should use alternate browser
UAB IT will be rolling out Internet Explorer 11 to its Desktop-supported customers beginning Wednesday. Microsoft will no longer be supporting earlier versions of IE beginning in January, making those earlier versions of the browser a security risk.
IE11 works for all of UAB’s enterprise systems except for IRAP, the Integrated Research Administration Portal. IRAP users can visit uab.edu/IRAP to see how best to access the system.
IE11 works for all of UAB’s enterprise systems except for IRAP, the Integrated Research Administration Portal. IRAP users can visit uab.edu/IRAP to see how best to access the system.
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November 29, 2015
Ellis joins UAB IT as chief technology officer
Shawn Ellis has joined UAB IT as associate vice president and chief technology officer. Ellis has a broad background in information technology, with a career spanning 20 years in industries including higher education, finance, defense, and space and scientific instrumentation. For the past eight years, Ellis has held several executive technology leadership positions at the University of Georgia, where he has most recently been interim associate chief information officer.
“Shawn brings a broad range of experience that will help us serve the university community’s technology needs and enable world-class performance at UAB,” said Dr. Curt Carver, vice president and CIO.
“I would like to thank the members of the search committee for their hard work identifying excellent candidates for the position,” Carver said.
The committee was chaired by Dr. Iwan Alexander, dean of the School of Engineering. Members included Alecia Jones (Human Resources), Stephanie Mullins (Financial Affairs), Michelle Hussey (University Advancement), Patricia Higginbottom (Lister Hill Library), Tommy Foley (Engineering), Don Fast (HSIS), Dr. Purushotham Bangalore (Computer Science), and UAB IT's Bob Cloud and Phillip Borden.
Ellis holds a Bachelor of Science in computer information systems from Nova Southeastern University and a Master of Business Administration from Georgia College and State University.
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November 17, 2015
UAB IT set to kick off 22nd annual Toy Drive
Santa Claus poses with some adoring fans at the UAB Toy Drive's 2014 "Drive-Thru Santa" event.UAB IT is looking to make the holidays a little brighter for some children in need.
The department is kicking off UAB’s 22nd annual Toy Drive on Monday, Nov. 30. UAB IT has organized the Toy Drive for more than 10 years.
Toys collected in the drive will be donated to Toys for Tots. Eric Thompson, who is leading the effort for the fourth year, said UAB IT is proud to organize the UAB Toy Drive. UAB is the largest contributor to the local Toys for Tots effort.
UAB IT employees and U.S. Marines with the large collection of toys donated by UAB employees and students in 2014.“Every child deserves a happy holiday,” Thompson said. "We are grateful for the support of UAB employees and students to this campaign year after year."
Boxes to collect toy donations will be located in buildings across campus, including the Administration Building, Athletics building, Cudworth, Rust, Facilities, Hoehn Engineering building, Lister Hill Library, Optometry, RSB and School of Nursing. Anyone interested in participating can email Eric Thompson.
New, unwrapped toys are needed for the toy drive. UAB IT and UAB Police Department volunteers will pick up the toys the morning of Thursday, Dec. 17, and collect them in the lobby of the Administration Building, where Santa Claus and his elf will greet those with last-minute donations at the second annual Drive-Thru Santa event.
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November 16, 2015
Howard joins UAB IT as deputy CIO
Robert Howard has joined UAB IT as associate vice president and deputy chief information officer.Howard has 19 years of experience in information technology at higher education institutions, most recently as chief information officer at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Ga. He has also served as assistant vice president of academic and institutional technology support at Miami University of Ohio and director of IT partnerships at the University of Georgia.
In his IT career, Howard has focused on developing high-performing teams and partnerships to solve institutional challenges with technology, including modernizing infrastructure. He has also worked to increase staff development, improve IT budgeting strategies, enhance business procedures around enrollment services and cultivate relationships with faculty, staff and students.
"Robert brings experience and energy to the position of deputy CIO," said Dr. Curt Carver, vice president and CIO. "He will help us develop a world-class IT organization for UAB."
Howard received a bachelor's degree in cell biology and microbiology from the University of Georgia; a master's degree in executive leadership and organizational change from Northern Kentucky University; and an MBA with a concentration in healthcare administration from Georgia Southern University.
"My wife and I and our three children are looking forward to making Birmingham home and becoming an active part of this vibrant community," Howard said.
Members of the search committee included Chairman Dr. Harold Jones, dean of the School of Health Professions; Dr. Suzanne Austin, senior vice provost; W. John Daniel, University counsel; Dr. Lauretta Gerrity, senior associate vice president for research administration; Alesia Jones, chief human resources officer; Robert McMains, senior facilities officer; Dr. Robert Palazzo, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Michelle Robinson, assistant dean in the School of Dentistry; Heather Maddox White, director of administrative and fiscal affairs for UAB IT; and David Yother, director of enterprise technology solutions for UAB IT.
"I would like to thank the members of the deputy CIO search committee, led by Dean Jones, for their work in identifying three excellent candidates, allowing us to fill this key position," Carver said.
"I would like to thank the members of the deputy CIO search committee, led by Dean Jones, for their work in identifying three excellent candidates, allowing us to fill this key position," Carver said.
November 02, 2015
Cloud storage service available for UAB faculty and staff
UAB IT has debuted a cloud storage service for campus faculty and staff. 
Each UAB faculty and staff member can now sign up for a Microsoft OneDrive account, which provides 1TB of cloud storage and allow file sharing. Individual file size limits are 2GB. Microsoft plans to add unlimited storage and increase file size limits to 10GB in early 2016.
Faculty and staff can also use the Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint in the cloud, as well as download those programs to their computers. The Office products are primarily made available for installation on the user’s personal/home system, and faculty/staff should consult with their department or school's IT support before installing any Office 365 products on their UAB system. Office products for installation on UAB systems should be downloaded from UAB IT’s software library.
Photos, videos, spreadsheets and other work documents can be stored in OneDrive accounts, and users can also create, edit and share Microsoft documents within their accounts. Users can access files on any device, including PCs, Macs, tablets and mobile phones.
UAB does not permit storage of sensitive data in the cloud. For guidance, refer to:
Each UAB faculty and staff member can now sign up for a Microsoft OneDrive account, which provides 1TB of cloud storage and allow file sharing. Individual file size limits are 2GB. Microsoft plans to add unlimited storage and increase file size limits to 10GB in early 2016.
Faculty and staff can also use the Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint in the cloud, as well as download those programs to their computers. The Office products are primarily made available for installation on the user’s personal/home system, and faculty/staff should consult with their department or school's IT support before installing any Office 365 products on their UAB system. Office products for installation on UAB systems should be downloaded from UAB IT’s software library.
Photos, videos, spreadsheets and other work documents can be stored in OneDrive accounts, and users can also create, edit and share Microsoft documents within their accounts. Users can access files on any device, including PCs, Macs, tablets and mobile phones.
UAB does not permit storage of sensitive data in the cloud. For guidance, refer to:
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October 28, 2015
Beware: Malicious emails threaten to hold files hostage
UAB users have been hit in the past day with emails containing malicious attachments that could encrypt users' files, enabling attackers to hold the files for ransom.
The recent emails contain unzipped Word document attachments that pretend to be a job applicant's resume or CV. The image below is similar to what users have received:
When the user opens the attachment, a particularly nasty malware called CryptoLocker is released onto the user's computer.
CryptoLMalocker malware holds the user's machine hostage by encrypting all of the user's files, making them inaccessible without the required passkey.
The attacker offers the victim the passkey for a fee of a few hundred dollars, often paid by entering a prepaid credit card number the victim must purchase.
There is no way to simply remove the malware. The user must either pay the ransom (which does not always work) OR if they keep consistent backups, rebuild the machine and load the backup onto it.
Anyone who receives such an email is urged to report it to AskIT.
Follow these tips to avoid phishing and other scam emails:
- Don't open attachments from strangers or even friends if you aren't expecting them. The attachment could contain a virus that can infect your computer.
- Do NOT click links in messages. Type a trusted web address in your browser or Google for the web site if you don't know the address.
- When there is a link in an email, do the "hover test" and hover your mouse over the link to see where it is actually redirecting you.
- Never type personal, sensitive information (such as passwords or account numbers) on web sites without verifying the web site's authenticity and security — look for an "https" in the address bar.
- Verify the address. Malicious web sites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the address may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (.com vs. .edu).
- Misspellings and grammatical errors can be a dead giveaway in phishing emails and subject lines.
- If you are unsure whether a request is legitimate, contact the company directly. Do NOT use contact information provided in the request.
- Protect your password. Information security and IT officials at both the university and UAB Hospital will never ask users for passwords or any other sensitive information.
- Always report suspicious activity. If you have any questions or you receive a suspicious email that you want to report, university employees and students can call the AskIT Help Desk at 205-996-5555. Hospital employees can call the HSIS Help Desk at 205-934-8888.
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